Register readers help homeless couple

Allen Pederson follows up on a job lead from Bill Lesser and makes an appointment for a job interview from his van outside Lesser's home. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Tara Lozano, kissing her youngest son two-year-old Michael, related to the Pederson's troubles as a mother and the pain they felt with the breakup of their family. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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David Gibbs, a lawyer in San Clemente who is helping the Pedersons, escapes the pressures and commitments of his law practice with morning sunrise paddle surfs in Dana Point Harbor. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Kelly Haggard believes in karma and charity work. Here she is sorting pasta that was donated by co-workers. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Bill Lesser, picnicking with his family, says that his experience helping the Pedersons has made him appreciate his life more. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Kelly Haggard, sorting pasta that was donated by co-workers, said she believes in karma and charity work. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Bill Lesser hangs with his son, Laken Lesser, in their Mission Viejo home. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Tara Lozano, taking her two-year-old son Michael to Gymboree, said she could relate to the Pederson's troubles as a mother and the pain they felt with breakup of their family. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Laken Lesser shows of one of the frogs he caught with his dad Bill Lesser. The elder Lesser is helping the Pedersons by getting Allen's resume out to prospective employers and occasionally letting the couple stay at his house. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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David Gibbs, a lawyer in San Clemente, is helping the Pedersons with their financial problems so they can be back on their feet. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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David Gibbs is surrounded by work in his San Clemente law office. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Regina Pederson gets a bit emotional while talking about the couple's plight while visiting the Lesser's home. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Their story touched many Register readers, who responded with generosity and a sense of gratitude for narrowly escaping the same fate.

"It could be me," Bill Lesser thought when he read the Pedersons' story.

The van is all the Pedersons have left from their former life, what Allen called "the Orange County Dream." Allen spent 20 years at Time Warner Cable, working his way up from an entry-level job to Director of Purchasing and Operations. Regina home-schooled their three children in their Lake Forest and taught Sunday school at Saddleback Church.

He found a job at an Inglewood Costco, but with the long commute and the low pay, he couldn't make ends meet. He quit in March 2008, thinking he'd find something quickly. But the recession had hit the area hard and despite rounds of networking and applications, he couldn't find anything in the impossible job market.

The family lost their home and ultimately settled in Santa Ana in a cheap motel, surviving on Allen's unemployment checks. When he maxed out his 99 weeks of benefits in May, they were left with nothing.

Forced to live in the van, the Pedersons decided to place their youngest, a 16-year-old son, with friends. Their daughter, now 19, was in beauty school and moved in with a friend. Their oldest, a son, had married and moved out some years before.

Allen and Regina lived out of their van, spending their evenings at the beach eating dinners of fast food or out of cans picked up at a food bank. They would wash up at the public restrooms and try to get some sleep after driving to a secluded street or parking lot.

They lived in fear of losing their van to impoundment, since the license plate tags were eight months overdue and they had racked up some parking tickets. To avoid cops, they would back in to parking slots to hide the expired tags. The brakes were failing and the back tires were so bald Regina fixed them with bicycle patches.

This Thanksgiving, as unemployment remains at record highs in California, people who are struggling are still grateful to be hanging in there. Register readers sent the Pedersons whatever they could -- $5 Subway gift cards or anonymous envelopes with a little cash. Two resourceful women responded just two days after the story appeared with the registration and tags for the Pedersons' van. An old friend from Saddleback Church helped put new brakes on the vehicle.

Judy Ipema, a 56-year-old Laguna Hills woman who has been out of work for three years and gets by with temp jobs, sent a check for $30.

"I just figure: there but for the grace of God go I," she said. "It wasn't easy, but I wish I could have done more."

The potential loss of the van resonated for many readers, and there were dozens of offers to help pay for the license. Tara and Ed Lozano, an Anaheim couple, bought two new tires for the vehicle.

The Lozanos related to the Pedersons' story. Ed's mortgage insurance business dried up, so he took a second job. Facing an illness and an unexpected pregnancy, they were just two days away from losing their home before they found a loan.

"What if that happened to us," Tara Lozano thought as she read the Pedersons' story. "And it could have, easily."

"It was us," Ed Lozano said. "We were there."

David Gibbs, a San Clemente bankruptcy lawyer, offered his services pro bono to the Pedersons. Living that close to the financial edge is a surprisingly common occurrence in Orange County, he said.

"I could grab a handful of my files of clients that we're working with on bankruptcies or other debt solutions and out of those I'll bet you 90 percent of those people at some point were no more than one paycheck away from where Allen and Regina are today," he said.

In all, Register readers gave the Pedersons approximately $1,000 in food gift cards, along with $400 sent anonymously by people Allen calls the "angels." The owners of an apartment let them stay at their rental for a week. Another guy paid for Allen to do real estate lessons online, in hopes he might begin a new career.

The Pedersons were overwhelmed and say their hope for better times has been renewed.

"The response from complete strangers!" Allen said. "Complete strangers were the most generous people that I've ever seen and met in my life."

Bill and Shari Lesser's generosity continues, as they are hosting Allen and Regina at their home in Mission Viejo. Why? Well, the Lessers know from tough times, Bill says. His painting contractor company lost 75 percent of its business in the last few years and he's tried to get jobs, but was turned away. Shari works as a massage therapist, but her business is down, too.

"We're living day-to-day ourselves and it's tough. It's real tough," Bill Lesser said. "It's the not knowing if we're going to have a roof over our heads in six months."

And the kitchen? Well, that's a casualty of tough times, too. Two years ago, the Lessers decided to remodel after a water leak flooded the room. The insurance company failed to pay for the repairs and the Lessers couldn't afford to do it themselves. So the family moved the fridge and stove into another room. When Bill Lesser met Allen and Regina, he offered the space to the Pedersons, who are living there now, bunking on the inflatable mattress each night.

There's no sink or counters in the kitchen, no stain on the unfinished cabinets. The drawers for utensils now hold the Pederson's clothes. But both the Pedersons and the Lessers are hoping for better times, praying that this is all just a work in progress. And both couples are grateful for, as Bill Lesser says, "...a roof over your head. A hot meal. A long shower."

"These are really good people who really don't deserve what happened to them," Bill Lesser said. "It could be me. In talking to them and spending time with them, it's made me realize just how lucky a lot of us are....They've really opened my eyes and opened my heart and made me appreciate what I have."

Four Strangers: Register readers help homeless couple

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